BaptistWay Bible Series for December 30: A disturbed man: Freed from being out of control

 • Download a powerpoint resource for this lesson here.

I never will forget the first time I was exposed to it. It was a psychological phenomenon at that time. Mystery still surrounds it.

The sweet, quiet young man I was counseling had deep scratches all up and down his arms. He had been “cutting” as it now is referred to. Cutting, a form of intentional self-injury, usually is not an attempt at suicide according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Originally, cutting was a practice by people who were incarcerated. Now this alarming trend of self harm sometimes is practiced by patients with diagnoses such as depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and several personality disorders, according to experts in the field.

I never noticed it before, but the madman of Gerasa in our text was a cutter. “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (v. 5). To be sure, I am not suggesting people who are cutters are demon possessed.  This man was in deep torment from the evil one and his forces.  

Demon possession is a mystery. No matter how you look at it, this man was tormented. He had family, friends and a home just like us. I wonder how he ended up in the region of Gerasa instead of at home in the region of Decapolis. Perhaps he was abandoned by his family. Maybe his community condemned him. Or maybe he was a wanderer. He was in unimaginable distress.

Many people today are in a similar distress. They have been abandoned by family, friends and community. They too are chained to the enemy, thrashing about and injuring their lives all the more in the darkness of the gloom of this world. And should they happen to break free from the grasp of despair, even for a moment, the enemy is there to chain them to the next sin condition he dangles before them.

The fact the madman of Gerasa ran and fell in front of Christ is striking. The text leads us to believe this was because Jesus told the demons to “come out.” What follows is one of the more odd passages of Scripture. Can’t you just see the lone fisherman on the water, pole in hand one second, then surround by 2,000 dead pigs the next.  Strange isn’t it?

Once released, the madman had all appearance of sanity. His mind and body once again were brought back to the harmony God intended. What joy and peace must have come over him. Truly, we have nothing to compare this to, unless, of course, Christ set you free from 2,000 demons.

Surely, it took time for his body to heal. Surely, he needed some counsel. Surely, there was some therapy needed for what had transpired in his life. In my experience, when someone has experienced trauma, the healing process can be lengthy. Don’t you think this man needed some follow up? Perhaps he needed to lay on the couch of a good psychologist for a few years to make sense of it all.

But, what happens next in the story is absolutely shocking. It’s one of the few times Jesus says do not follow me: “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him …” (vv. 18-19). Wow. Didn’t see that one coming did you?

I wonder why Jesus said no. I mean, who was going to give this poor soul counsel? Or now that he had this encounter with Christ and experienced such mercy, who was going to disciple this former madman? Who would teach him in the ways of faith?

Scenario one: He was totally healed and did not need any counseling. Maybe Christ healed his entire mind, body and soul.

Scenario two: Jesus said “you may not follow me” because that was reserved for the 12 disciples.

Scenario three: Jesus knew that in telling others about the mercy of Christ, this madman’s spiritual life would soar. He would find peace in service.  

Just for fun, let’s go with scenario three. This former madman became a forerunner for the gospel. As our lesson tells, Mark reports Jesus went to Decapolis after this event. His telling of the mercy of Christ could have played a pivotal role in Jesus ministry, similar to that of John the Baptist.  But who would have trained this man in the way of The Way?

Here is a startling truth. You might not like it. It doesn’t sound terribly Baptist. What if this former madman needed to share his life experience more than he needed to be taught the word of God? Maybe Jesus said with his actions, “It’s more important for you to go tell others than it is to be with me and my popularity.”  

If you scratch around here, a really amazing truth is discovered. It doesn’t sound terribly Baptist either. What if taking the gospel to people who don’t have it is more important (or at least equally important) to hanging around the people who are already God’s people. Isn’t that what happened?

“Jesus, can I go with you?” the man asked. He even begged according to our passage. “No,” Jesus said, “go to your hometown and tell them about the mercy of Christ. I will see you there later.”  

The other day, my intern was concerned she was spending too much time in Bible study preparation. She said, “It seems like I only get to teach about 10 percent of what I study.” She hit an amazing truth, quite accidently. By leading, teaching and telling about the kingdom, we almost always learn more and grow more than those we teach and lead. 

Bottom line? Do you know the hymn “Saved, Saved”? How about “When We all Get to Heaven”? These are hymns of rejoicing over what Jesus has done for us. But how in the world can we sing these songs so thankfully, inside our nice, warm, cozy churches, when people all over the world are dying without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? They aren’t saved and therefore are not going to heaven. Where do we find the balance?

After all, at one point you were a “madman” stuck in your old sinful ways. The Savior was glad to receive you when you ran to him. He set you free. He specifically told you “follow me.” And he even sent you to your own hometown to proclaim the mercy of Christ and to be a forerunner for his soon return.

Wow. We have much in common with the madman. Or, perhaps, if we and our churches sit on the gospel, we are the madmen.
 
Since we are morphing your Bible study group into a “Bible-doing” group, I want to suggest these applications for this week:

1.    Thoroughly discuss the following: What helps people grow in Christ more: leading or following? Is that a fair question?

2.    Generally speaking, we Baptist like our new converts to sit in Bible study groups for some time before they serve in our churches. Based on this passage, is this flawed thinking? In what areas could a brand new convert serve in your church? Why is that important?